Hamdullah Arbab’s life has been defined by four decades of war. He is utilizing his skills to advocate peace and highlight the horrors of war in his country. Ali Sajid, a painter based in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, has used his mastery to highlight the environmental challenges in northern Pakistan. The region is home to some of the most majestic mountains in the world but faces grave environmental problems.
Afghan, Pakistani Artists Paint Peace And The Environment
- By Majeed Babar
Artists are often inspired by their environment. In Afghanistan and Pakistan, two painters are using their art to raise awareness about some of the most pressing issues in their country.
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“Bacha Khan Baba is a symbol of peace and tolerance for us,” Arbab says. Popularly known as Bacha Khan, Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1890 -1988) was the founder of the nonviolent Servants of God movement that sought independence from the British. An ally of Gandhi, he devoted his life to fighting injustice and prejudice.
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“Here I have tried to depict what an Afghan mother goes through,” Arbab says of the painting that attempts to capture the pain of millions of Afghan mothers who have struggled with death, destruction, displacement, and separation caused by more than four decades of fighting.
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Arbab says the “message here is that even the inanimate arms and ammunition are tired of this never-ending killing of Afghans.”
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Arbab has tried to depict the resilience of Afghan children who go to school under the shadow of guns and suicide bombers.
